ai4bharat/Pralekha huggingface dataset:
Prime Minister's Office
PM to inaugurate the Global Millets  Conference on 18th March
Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi will inaugurate the Global Millets  Conference at Subramaniam Hall, NASC Complex, IARI Campus, PUSA New Delhi on 18th March, 2023 at 11 AM. Prime Minister will also address the gathering on the occasion.
Based on India’s proposal, the year 2023 was declared as the International Year of Millets  by the United Nations General Assembly . Also, in line with the Prime Minister’s vision to make the celebrations of IYM 2023 a ‘people’s movement’ and position India as the ‘global hub for millets’, all central government ministries/departments, states/UTs, farmers, start-ups, exporters, retail businesses and other stakeholders, are being engaged to promote and spread awareness about the benefits of millets  for the cultivator, consumer and climate. The organization of Global Millets  Conference in India is an important programme in this context.
The two-day global conference will have sessions on all important issues related to millets  like promotion and awareness of millets among producers, consumers and other stakeholders; millets’ value chain development; health and nutritional aspects of millets; market linkages; research and development etc. The conference will be attended by Agriculture Ministers of various countries, international scientists, nutritionists, health experts, start-up leaders and other stakeholders.
Ministry of Railways
Railways loads the highest ever freight of 114.8 MT for the month of May
Loading for May 21 is 9.7% higher than the previous best of 104.6 MT in May 2019
Despite the Covid challenges, Freight figures continue to maintain the high momentum in terms of earnings and loading in the month of May 2021 for Indian Railways.
On mission mode, Indian Railways' Freight made highest ever loading for the month of May.
In May 2021 it is 114.8 MT which is 9.7% more than May 2019  for the same period.
The important items transported during May 2021 includes 54.52 million tonnes of Coal, 15.12 million tonnes of Iron Ore, 5.61 million tonnes of Foodgrains, 3.68 million tonnes of Fertilizers, 3.18 million tonnes of Mineral Oil, 5.36 million tonnes of Cement  and 4.2 million tonnes of Clinker.
In the month of May 2021, Indian Railways earned Rs. 11604.94 crores from freight loading.
Wagon Turn around time has seen an improvement of 26% in this month. In May, 2021, wagon turn around time is registered at 4.81 days as compared to 6.46 in May 2019.
It is worth mentioning that a number of concessions/ discounts are also being given in Indian Railways to make Railways Freight movement very attractive.
It may be noted that speed of freight trains has been enhanced in the existing network.
Freight speed improvement leads saving of costs for all stake holders. Freight speed has doubled over last 18 months.
Few zones  have registered average speed of freight trains even above 50 Kmph. Due to geographical conditions, certain sections offer good speed to freight trains. An average speed of 45.6 Kmph is registered in May 2021 for freight trains which is 26% more as compared to 36.19 Kmph for the same period.
Covid 19 has been used by Indian Railways as an opportunity to improve all round efficiencies and performances.
Ministry of Road Transport & Highways
Road Ministry to Utilise Plastic Waste in a Big Way
Plastic Waste to be used in Construction of National Highways
Ministry of Road Transport & Highways has embarked upon a mission for utilising waste plastic in a big way. It has mobilised nearly 26 thousand people across the country for spreading awareness on plastic waste management. Over 61 thousand hours of shramdaan has been given to collect plastic waste. This has resulted in collection of nearly 18 thousand kilograms of waste plastic throughout the country.
Under the ‘Swachhta Hi Sewa’ programme of the Government of India, it has undertaken awareness generation against use of plastic, through Swachhata Awareness Programme through rallies, putting up posters / banners / slogans, distribution of pamphlets at Toll Plazas and nearby Dhabas, and organizing painting / essay writing competitions in schools. Awareness Programmes are being organised at Camp site / local community centres, publicity through FM Radio, cleaning of National Highways and collection of plastic waste / polythene bags / plastic bottles, cleaning up Toll Plazas, and organizing Swacchata Workshops for truck drivers and toll employees. The ministry is discouraging the use of plastic water bottles, installing dustbins for collection of segregated waste, and is distributing cloth/jute bags.
The Ministry is encouraging the use of waste plastic in highway construction, especially on National Highways within 50 km periphery of urban areas that have a population of 5 lakh or more. A stretch of road has recently been constructed using waste plastic on NH-48 near Dhaula Kuan. A portion of Delhi- Meerut expressway and Gurugram- Sohna road have also been planned for construction, using plastic waste.
Plastic waste has already been used in wearing courses of National Highways construction on the pilot basis in the states of Tamil Nadu and Kerala. The technology used is in compliance with the guidelines of Indian Roads Congress for the use of waste plastic in Hot Bituminous Mixes in wearing courses. Construction of 1 kilometre of 4-lane highway can help in disposal of approximately 7 tonnes of waste plastic.
Ministry of Information & Broadcasting
Publications Division comes out with ‘Yojana Classics’, a Special Curation of Development Monthly Yojana’s Published Works since 1957
Government of India’s premier publishing house Publications Division has come out with Yojana Classics, a collectible series on various thematic areas, crafted from select works published since 1957 in Yojana, the popular development monthly published by Publications Division. The mesmerising richness and vastness of the content published in the journal over the years has been meticulously curated from the sepia-toned, earthy and delicate pages of its early editions. The book will take readers on an enriching journey of Art, Culture and Heritage of India. It is a quintessential collection to have, for students, art and culture enthusiasts, academicians, and for anyone with an eye for the magic that happens when art is expressed through words. The book will be available soon at Publications Division Book Gallery, Soochna Bhawan and website www.publicationsdivision.nic.in.
The book was released by Union Information and Broadcasting Secretary, Shri Apurva Chandra today, during his visit to the Publications Division stall at the ongoing Delhi Book Fair 2023. The Secretary was accompanied by Director General, Publications Division, Ms. Anupama Bhatnagar and other senior officers of the department.
The I&B Secretary explored the Publications Division stall and expressed his appreciation towards the rich collection of books brought out by the Division, which he said highlights India’s cultural heritage, art and architecture, glorious history and notable contributions of national leaders.
The 27th edition of the Delhi Book Fair is being organized by India Trade Promotion Organization  in association with Federation of Indian Publishers , from 29th July to 2nd August, 2023 at Pragati Maidan, New Delhi. Publications Division, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, is exhibiting its books and journals at Stall No. 12, Hall No. 11 of Pragati Maidan.
The visitors will find at the stall an exquisite collection of books on various themes ranging from nation building, history and heritage, to biographies, reference books and children’s literature. Book lovers will also get to explore the premium books on Rashtrapati Bhavan and collection of selected speeches of Presidents, Vice Presidents and Prime Ministers, published exclusively by Publications Division.
Besides books, Publications Division’s popular and widely circulated journals such as Yojana, Kurukshetra, Aajkal and Bal Bharti are also available at the stall. Visitors can also purchase annual subscriptions of journals and Employment News / Rozgar Samachar published by the Division.
Ministry of Railways
INTRODUCTION OF ECONOMY CLASS COACHES
Rail Coach Factory, Kaputhala rolled out first rake of 15 AC three-tier economy class coaches
on 31.05.2021.
Main features and improved facilities provided are as follows:
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- Capacity of 83 berths as against 72 berths of AC three-tier coach.
- Provided with one disabled friendly toilet.
- AC ducting redesigned to provide individual AC vents for each berth.
- Improved and modular design of seats & berths, foldable snack tables & water holders.
- Individual reading lights, mobile charging points with USB ports.
- Improved fire safety furnishing compliant to EN 45545-2 HL3 standard.
Subject to operational feasibility, traffic pattern & availability of Rolling Stock, induction of economy class coaches is being undertaken over Indian railways. As on 15.03.2022, 65 economy class coaches have been inducted over Indian Railways.
This information was given by the Minister of Railways, Communications and Electronic & Information Technology, Shri Ashwini Vaishnaw in a written reply to a question in Lok Sabha today.
Ministry of Culture
Union Minister for Culture  Shri Prahlad Singh Patel launches the National List of Intangible Cultural Heritage  of India in New Delhi today
It aims to raise awareness about various intangible cultural heritage elements from different states of India, at national and international level - Shri Prahlad Singh Patel
Union Minister for Culture  Shri Prahlad Singh Patel launched the National List of Intangible Cultural Heritage  of India in New DelhI today . Speaking on the occasion Shri Patel said that India houses a repository of unique Intangible Cultural Heritage traditions, 13 of which have also been recognized by UNESCO as Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. The National ICH List is an attempt to recognize the diversity of Indian culture embedded in its intangible heritage. He said that It aims to raise awareness about the various intangible cultural heritage elements from different states of India at national and international level and ensure their protection. This initiative is also a part of the Vision 2024 of the Ministry of Culture.
Following UNESCO’s 2003 Convention for Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage, this list has been classified into five broad domains in which intangible cultural heritage is manifested:
■ Oral traditions and expressions, including language as a vehicle of the intangible cultural heritage;
■ Performing arts;
■ Social practices, rituals and festive events;
■ Knowledge and practices concerning nature and the universe;
■ Traditional craftsmanship.
The present items in the list have been collated from the projects sanctioned under the scheme for ‘Safeguarding the Intangible Cultural Heritage and Diverse Cultural Traditions of India’ formulated by the Ministry of Culture in 2013. As of now the list has more than 100elements, It also includes the 13 elements of India that have already been inscribed on the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
This national list is a work in progress and may be considered as a draft version. M/o Culture endeavours to update it regularly. Thus, it welcomes suggestions/contributions/amendments to the present content from stakeholders and experts concerned with different intangible cultural heritage practices. Further information on how to contact M/o Culture for the same can be found on its website https://www.indiaculture.nic.in/national-list-intangible-cultural-heritage-ich
It is also hoped that with consultation from experts and other stakeholders like UNESCO, this list could also help strengthen the ICH inventory of India, which functions as a ‘tentative list’ for any potential inscriptions on the UNESCO list of Intangible Cultural Heritage.
M/o Culture would like to acknowledge the support provided by Sangeet NatakAkademi  and Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts  in building this list. It would also like to thank the researchers under the ‘Safeguarding the Intangible Cultural Heritage and Diverse Cultural Traditions of India’ whose work has contributed immensely in this list.
Competition Commission of India
CCI approves acquisition of Prione Business Services Private Limited by Amazon Asia-Pacific Resources Private Limited
The Competition Commission of India  approves acquisition of Prione Business Services Private Limited by Amazon Asia-Pacific Resources Private Limited
The proposed combination pertains to the proposed acquisition of Seventy-Six percent of the equity shares of Prione Business Services Private Limited  by Amazon Asia-Pacific Resources Private Limited .
Acquirer is an indirect wholly owned subsidiary of Amazon.com, Inc. . ACI is the ultimate parent entity of the Amazon group. The Acquirer does not undertake any business activity in India. However, ACI, the ultimate parent company of the Acquirer, has certain indirect subsidiaries either registered in India or having business operations in India.
Target is an Indian owned and controlled company, and is controlled by Hober Mallow Trust . Seventy Six percent of the share capital of the Target is held by Hober Mallow. Acquirer already owns Twenty three percent of the share capital of the Target, and Amazon Eurasia Holdings S.a.r.l. owns One percent of the share capital of the Target. The Target offers a variety of services tailored to help small and medium businesses  run their online businesses efficiently, inter alia, including digital cataloguing, advertising, training and consulting, advisory and value-added services, adopting digital payments, and other overall enablement services.
Target has a wholly owned subsidiary Cloudtail India Private Limited . CT is engaged in B2C retail business in India, and currently offers for sale products to customers on the online marketplace, www.amazon.in operated by Amazon Seller Services Private Limited . CT is also engaged in wholesale  trading of products through online and offline channels.
Detailed order of the CCI will follow.
Ministry of Defence
Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ekwe Ibas, Chief of the Naval Staff, Nigerian Navy visiting India from 16 to 19 July 2018
Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ekwe Ibas, Chief of the Naval Staff, Nigerian Navy is visiting India from 16 to 19 July 2018 along with a four member Nigerian Navy delegation. The visit aims to consolidate bilateral naval relations between India and Nigeria, as also to explore new avenues for naval cooperation.
During his visit, the Chief of the Naval Staff of the Nigerian Navy will hold bilateral discussions with Admiral Sunil Lanba, Chief of the Naval Staff and other senior officials of the Indian Navy. The Nigerian Navy Chief is also scheduled to meet with the Chief of the Air Staff and the Chief of the Army Staff.
India is the largest trading partner of Nigeria and Nigeria is India’s the largest trading partner in Africa. Indian Navy through the medium of Joint Defence Cooperation Committee meetings cooperates with the Nigerian Navy on many fronts which include training, exchange of Subject Matter Experts in various fields and Hydrographic Cooperation. In addition, port calls by Indian Naval Ships, latest one being INS Tarkash in June 2017 have further strengthened the Defence cooperation with Nigeria.
After New Delhi, the Admiral is scheduled to proceed to Mumbai, Kochi and Goa where he will hold discussions with the Commanders-in-Chief of Western and Southern Naval Commands and Flag Officer Goa Area respectively. The Admiral is also scheduled to visit various naval units, including Indian Naval training schools during his visit to Mumbai, Kochi and Goa. Shipbuilding issues would be pursued during the Nigerian Admiral’s visit to M/s Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited and M/s Goa Shipyard Limited at Mumbai and Goa respectively.
DKS/AC
(Visitor Counter : 625
Ministry of Women and Child Development
National Commission for Protection of Child Rights  holds consultation on Preventive Strategy on Child Sexual Abuse
The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights  held a Consultation on development of Preventive Strategy on Child Sexual Abuse today. It was chaired by Smt. Stuti Kacker, Chairperson, NCPCR. She expressed her concern about growing incidents of sexual abuse of very young children in the country. Sh. Yashwant Jain, Member, NCPCR and Dr. Rajesh Sagar from AIIMS were also present in this consultation.
It was strongly recommended in the consultation that a comprehensive and holistic campaign in rural and urban areas should be initiated at national level on Child Sexual Abuse  and on violation of Child Rights caused by it.
NCPCR had carried out a crowd sourcing of suggestions for preventive measures against Child Sexual Abuse . 153 suggestions were received of which 70 suggestions were for awareness generation. They were deliberated upon in the meeting with representatives from different NGOs working in Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore, and Chennai. There was also a presentation of a Media Campaign which covered various aspects of child sexual abuse and suggested measures that would be taken through their 360° media campaign.
Child Sexual Abuse is a multidimensional problem having legal, social, medical and psychological implications. Preventive measures include creating awareness among children, general public and making parents more conscious, responsive, friendly and communicative with children and empowering and educating children about these issues. At the same time, we should have stringent implementation of law with zero tolerance approach towards such crimes.
Ministry of Steel
NMDC’s Best Ever December month and 9 months Physical Performance
National Mineral Development Corporation Ltd. , under the Ministry of Steel on a steady growth trajectory, produced 3.95 MT and sold 3.40 MT of iron ore in the month of December, 2021. The largest iron ore producer of India registered marginal growth in production over CPLY and delivered the highest ever production in any December month since inception.
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2020
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2021
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Up by %
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Production in December
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3.86
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3.95
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2.33%
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Production up to December 
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21.83
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28.32
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30%
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Sales up to December 
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22.27
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28.36
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27%
Cumulative production and sales figures for the first nine months of FY22, up to December 2021, stood at 28.32 MT and 28.36 MT respectively, recording the best ever 9 months physical performance of NMDC. The company achieved a growth of 30% in production and 27% in sales over the same period last year.
Congratulating the NMDC team for yet this impressive performance, CMD, NMDC
Shri Sumit Deb said, “I’d like to congratulate the team for continuing to deliver solid results at the start of an exciting year. In 2022 with the completion of several of our projects you will see NMDC transition into a very different company with stronger fundamentals and exciting, cutting edge mining technologies.”
Prime Minister's Office
PM to lay Foundation Stone of the permanent campus of IIM Sambalpur on 2 January
Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi will lay the foundation stone of the permanent campus of IIM Sambalpur on 2nd January 2021 at 11 AM via video conferencing.
Governor and Chief Minister of Odisha, along with Union Ministers Shri Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’, Shri Dharmendra Pradhan and Shri Pratap Chandra Sarangi will also be present on the occasion. The ceremony will be virtually attended by over 5000 invitees including officials, industry leaders, academicians and students, alumni & faculty of IIM Sambalpur.
About IIM Sambalpur
IIM Sambalpur is the first IIM to implement the idea of flipped classroom where the basic concepts are learnt in digital mode and experiential learning takes place in the class, through live projects from the industry. The Institute also outscored all other IIMs in terms of highest gender diversity with 49% girl students in MBA  batch and 43% in MBA  batch.
Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment
Union Minister of Social Justice & Empowerment Dr. Virendra Kumar to inaugurate a two – day  sensitization workshop at Tent City, Kevadia, Gujarat
The workshop, organised by the Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities, aims to create awareness about the schemes and programmes being implemented by Government of India for Persons with Disabilities
An exhibition, as part of the workshop, will showcase products by self -help groups of National Trust and aids & assistive devices of ALIMCO
The official website of CCPD will also be launched during the workshop
Union Minister of Social Justice & Empowerment, Dr. Virendra Kumar will inaugurate a two –day  sensitization workshop, organised by the Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities, Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment at Tent City, Kevadia, Gujarat.
The workshop aims to create awareness about the Schemes and Programmes being implemented by Government of India for Persons with Disabilities viz implementation of RPwDAct,2016, functioning of Chief Commissioner for Persons with Disabilities and best practice on accessibility by the State Governments.
A visit to Statue of Unity is also a part of the workshop as it is one of the Model places to showcase accessibility for Divyangjan.
An exhibition will also be the part of the event where products by self -help groups of National Trust and aids & assistive devices of ALIMCO will be showcased.
A film prepared by National Institute under the Department on accessibility and infrastructure will also be presented and the official website of CCPD will also be launched during the event.
Smt Anjali Bhawra, Secretary and Shri Kishor B. Surwade, Dy. Director General and Officers of the Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities will also be present during the function.
Ministry of Agriculture &
Farmers Welfare
Use of Bio-Fertilizers
There is no proposal to make use of bio-fertilizers compulsory along-with the urea. However, use of bio-fertilizer is recommended under Integrated Nutrient Management  strategies and organic farming for use in all crops.
Bio-fertilizers are live microbial products which does not contain any nutrients. The micro-organisms present in the bio-fertilizer ensure availability of nutrients from non-available form present within soil and air to available form which plants can uptake. Indian Council of Agricultural Research  has developed improved and efficient strains of bio-fertilizers specific to different crops and soil types under All India Network Project  on Soil Biodiversity-Bio-fertilizers and informed that Bio-fertilizers can improve crop yields by 10-25% and supplement costly chemical fertilizers  by nearly 20-25% in most of the cases when used along with chemical fertilizers without any reduction in production.
11 bio-fertilizers namely; Rhizobium, Azotobactor, Azospirillum, Phosphate Solubilising Bacteria, Mycorrhizal Bio-fertilisers, Potassium Mobilizing Bio-fertilizers  Zinc Solubilizing Biofertilizers  Acetobactor, Carrier Based Consortia, Liquid Consortia , and Phosphate Solubilising Fungus have been notified and included into the Fertilizer  Order, 1985. The quality standards of these bio-fertilizers have been specified under the FCO, 1985.
At present, there is no such proposal to transfer the subsidy on urea to the farmers and not the manufacturers
This information was given by the Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Shri Narendra Singh Tomar in a written reply in Lok Sabha today.